2 teens arrested in attack at school

Girl shot in neck; N.C. pair to face counts in assault

Oct. 25, 2011 12:00 AMAssociated Press

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - Two teenagers were in custody in the shooting of a 15-year-old fellow student who was wounded in the neck during a lunch period outside her North Carolina high school, and a sheriff said Monday that the pair will be charged.

The two suspects and the victim attend Cape Fear High School in Fayetteville. Cumberland County Sheriff Earl "Moose" Butler said at a news conference that both suspects participated in the shooting and were being questioned. The weapon, a .22-caliber Daisy rifle and shell casings have been recovered.

The sheriff said the two were apprehended with the help of surveillance video that showed them carrying the rifle inside the school. He said investigators don't think Abercrombie was the intended target, but no motive has been established.

"Why did they shoot? I don't know," he said.

The high school and nearby Mac Williams Middle School were locked down for hours before students were allowed to go home.

A police officer assigned to the high school was standing near Abercrombie when she was shot about 1 p.m. Monday and immediately called 911, office spokeswoman Debbie Tanna said.

Students from the middle school were sent home before their high-school counterparts, who were still gradually leaving the campus by 6 p.m. Students were searched by police and left the building in long lines holding their hands above their heads before boarding buses that took them from campus.